BJP Leader Calls for "Surgical Strikes" on Anti-National Elements in West Bengal

Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh feels that West Bengal is sitting on a ticking time bomb under the TMC government, and that "surgical strikes" by security and federal agencies are necessary to stop anti-national actions in the bordering state.

In a PTI interview, Ghosh voiced worries about a pervasive connection between financial schemes and terror groups in the state and forecast more activity from national government after the elections are done.

"West Bengal, a state that borders on India, has seen events that are harmful to national security in addition to a worsening condition of law and order. Bengal has turned into a refuge for infiltrators and anti-national elements, according to the discovery of bomb-making factories and terror modules, the speaker stated.

Ghosh said that the Trinamool government poses a threat to national security since the governing party does not have authority over state matters, and that there has been a notable population change in border regions as a result of the TMC's purported appeasement policy.

"There is an anti-national chain in West Bengal, encompassing not only terror modules but also various corruption cases," said the former head of the state BJP. He said that under the TMC government, anti-national groups are given free rein in a number of locations that mirror Sandeshkhali and Bhoopatinagar.

"Security and central agencies must launch surgical strikes to protect the state, which is on the brink of explosion," Ghosh said.

In Sandeshkhali, in the North 24 Parganas area, there have been fresh allegations of sexual assault against TMC leaders. In January, there was a crowd assault against ED officers. An NIA team was reportedly assaulted by a crowd last week in Bhoopatinagar, in the Purba Medinipur district, when they attempted to apprehend two suspects in a bomb case from 2022.

Ghosh accused the CID and state police of conducting biased investigations to conceal these problems.

Ghosh called out the TMC for "playing with national security" in reference to Sandeshkhali and Bhoopatinagar, stressing the BJP's duty to defend the state.

"After the elections are over, you will see how the central agencies unravel the conspiracy against the interests of the nation," he said.

Ghosh questioned the TMC's objection to the Citizenship Amendment Act's implementation, stating that "the CAA will clearly distinguish citizens from foreigners." According to Ghosh, the CAA will assist the BJP in winning all of the state's elections in addition to uniting Bengal's Hindu population.

The government would award Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants—Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians—from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, as per the CAA, the regulations of which were announced on March 13.

Ghosh said that infiltrators, a TMC voting group, were behind the anti-CAA rallies that erupted around the state in 2019 after the law's passage by Parliament.

The Lungi Party demonstrated against the CAA by setting fire to busses and other public property in the streets. These migrants are taking over parts of Bengal and undermining residents' employment opportunities as well as government services, the man said.

When asked whether a National Register of Citizens, as suspected by certain opposition leaders, will be implemented soon, Ghosh said, "The NRC in Assam was done as per the Assam Accord and court order." Since 1979, there has been a six-year movement in Assam calling for the identification and expulsion of illegal immigrants. The Assam Accord was signed as the movement's culmination.

"In Assam, the government did not act independently. Now, that may happen if someone files a lawsuit to implement the NRC and the judge accepts their plea, the speaker said.

The Medinipur Lok Sabha seat MP, Ghosh, who was recently moved to the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency, has expressed confidence in his win.

"I am a devoted party soldier. I'll take whatever work that's given to me," he said.

During his tenure as the leader of the West Bengal BJP, Ghosh achieved notable electoral successes for the party. He saw it grow from having two Lok Sabha seats in 2014 to 18 in 2019, and from having three assembly seats in 2016 to 77 in 2021.

Regarding the question of whether turncoats had more influence over the current situation inside the BJP West Bengal branch, he said, "Our local leaders and people lacked experience since we were in a growth period in Bengal. To head the party, we had to choose leaders from other parties." "The party is accommodating both the old and new; that is how it is functioning in the entire country," Ghosh responded to a query. Known for saying contentious things, Ghosh recently sparked controversy by poking fun of TMC chief minister Mamata Banerjee's family history in an alleged video tape. He claimed to support "calling a spade a spade." I am a direct person, thus some people may be hesitant to make comments. However, I am not because I think that in politics, one must communicate in a manner that is understandable," he said.